Composition

My latest project Diametrically Composedhas been awarded a grant from New Music USA! Of the 1229 projects received this past January requesting over 7 million dollars in support, Diametrically Composed is one of 107 chosen for an award. I am floored by this and more pumped than ever!

Flutronix is beyond thrilled and honored to say we are BOTH composers for cellist Amanda Gookin’sForward Music Project. We are joined by a roster of phenomenal women composers including Angelica Negrón, Amanda Feery, Leila Adu, Jessica Meyer, and Morgan Krauss.

From Amanda’s site: “The Forward Music Project is driven by social justice for women. We musicians, now more than ever, have an incredible ability to effect change in our communities. I commissioned composers to write pieces based on their personal story or a particular issue that affects women and girls. The compositions are stylistically contrasting and represent the vast definition of what it means to be a woman, ranging from issues of the LGBTQ+ community and reproductive rights to sexual violence and empowerment. A visceral experience, the composers require that I embody the spirit of their message physically, mentally, and emotionally. In performance I sing, chant, fight and breathe life into these works.”

The Forward Music Project has been a unique opportunity for us to explore deeply meaningful and important narratives, while diving into the soundscape of the cello. Nathalie’s piece, Dam Mwen Yo, is a work for solo cello and electronics. Dam Mwen Yo in Haitian creole simply translates to “these are my ladies”. In Haiti, the cultural image of women is one of strength. They are pillars of their homes and communities, and are both fearless and loving, all while carrying the weight of their families and children on their backs. As a first generation Haitian-American, these women -mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, cousins – were central to Nathalie’s upbringing and understanding of what it means to be a woman. In Dantan, Haiti-Sud, where Nathalie’s family is from, it is rare to walk down the countryside roads without hearing the voices of women – in the fields, cooking for their loved ones, gathering water at the wells with their babies. This piece and the voices within it are representative of these ladies – Nathalie’s ladies. And the cello sings their song – one of strength, beauty, pain and simplicity in a familiar landscape.

Allison’s work, Stolen, is a sonatine for unaccompanied ‘cello with 3 short movements exploring the journey of a young girl who is sold into marriage. The first movement represents her stolen youth and the lamentation of saying goodbye to childhood. She is reflective of playtime, family memories and former dreams. While she is remembering pleasantries, she is also recognizing they are things of the past. The second movement explores the anxiety and sense of urgency felt about being forced into womanhood. She is full of complex feelings ranging from fear, unpreparedness, resentment and sadness. She also knows she has to bravely and quickly become an adult and sooner than later, a young parent. The third movement is her reluctant acceptance of and submission to an undesired life. She has assumed her new role, but is deeply yearning for the childhood she barely had and to have ownership of herself. Despite this, she must tend to her adult responsibilities as a matter of life or death. Today, one third of girls in the developing world are married before the age of 18 and 1 in 9 are married before the age of 15.

The Forward Music Project will continue to tour for upcoming seasons. Follow the project here for more info.

I am THRILLED to officially announce the launching of my latest project, Diametrically Composed. This project is inspired by life as a mother and I am privileged to say I am working with an incredibly fierce group of musicians who are also moms!

To add to the excitement, Diametrically Composed has been fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas! Please read on for more details…

Diametrically Composed is a collection of newly commissioned works for flute and piano exploring the duality of being a mother and an artist.

Immediately after childbirth, it becomes clear that motherhood is multifaceted and life-changing. This new reality brings the joy of experiencing a newly created being and a powerful impact on creativity. Being an artist-mother is fulfilling, rewarding, and unpredictable – full of love, beauty, and constant learning. Caring for and cultivating the development of someone else’s life is a privilege and artistically inspiring. While our children inform our art, our art informs our children and the steady current of energy generated from the two creates a distinct and flourished experience.

While Diametrically Composed revels in the exuberance of being a mother and an artist, the work also confronts the notion that motherhood and professional life can be limiting factors in their interaction, in ways that fatherhood and professional life are not necessarily. The work aims to artistically probe and unpack this double standard.

The artists of Diametrically Composed are mothers and renown in their field. Conceived by flutist/composer Allison Loggins-Hull, the collaborative artists include composers Paola Prestini,Sarah Kirkland Snider and Valerie Coleman, and pianist Gabriela Martinez. Their contributions reflect personal experiences, exploring diverse themes related to being a mother and an artist. Diametrically Composed reaches beyond the typical flute and piano recital, providing an immersive performance experience incorporating recited text, narratives and points-of-view of mothers from varied artistic professions.

Diametrically Composed will premiere at National Sawdust in NYC in 2018, followed by touring through 2020 and beyond. The music of Diametrically Composed will be released as an album, with a portion of proceeds going to organizations that serve to empower women.

Diametrically Composed is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Diametrically Composed must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

This February, Flutronix was featured artists for one of Chamber Music America’s, First Tuesday Sessions. These free seminars are live-streamed and feature professionals in the chamber music field, who share their experience, expertise and advice on various, career-related topics. Watch Flutronix’s session on “DIY Publishing: Your Work, Your Way” here.

I’m excited to be one of the commissioned composers involved in the “Forward Music Project,” a new music and social justice initiative conceived by cellist, Amanda Gookin. From Amanda’s site:

The mission:

I believe the division of social justice and arts is an invisible line. One cannot exist without the other. This program commissions* works by some of today’s most innovative composers. Each unique composition is an expression of: the composer’s personal experiences, an issue they desire to highlight, and the completely open compositional style through which they choose to do so. This program will develop hand-in-hand with organizations that encourage social change for women all over the world through outreach activities that promote empowerment for young women and girls.

The FMP goal:

+ To raise awareness of women’s issues.

+ To contribute to the evolving future of Contemporary Classical music.

+ To gain support for non-profit organizations focusing on women’s rights.

+ To support the work of living composers.

+ To discover how we are all connected through art.

+ To demonstrate the many different ways to make an impact.

+ To empower young women and provide them a platform of strength and courage to speak up and speak out.

+ To encourage the current of change.

* These 7 works will be premiered in the Fall 2016 in New York City and subsequently performed in a diverse range of venues from recital halls and clubs to Planned Parenthood offices and public schools around the country.